Chapter 140: Entrustable

"Stop."

Outside the small town in the evening.

Chen Ji, carrying Bai Li, squatted down, his gaze observing outwards silently through a gap in the bushes. Gongzi and Zhang Xia squatted behind him, holding their breath, not daring to blink their nervous eyes.

A moment later, four infantry soldiers, their hands on their waist knives, patrolled past several dozen steps away.

The small town was like a marching camp in general. The outer perimeter was all wooden fences as high as a person, and infantry soldiers carried knives and crossbows on patrol, a scene of solemn killing.

Raising private soldiers and wearing bows and crossbows – each of these was a capital offense.

Watching the infantry soldiers go far, Gongzi asked in a low voice, "Should we sneak in now?"

"Don't move!"

Chen Ji didn't stand up immediately, but waited for three more teams of infantry soldiers. Only then did he say in a low voice, "They patrol twice in the time it takes for one incense stick to burn. We must enter the small town in the gap between two teams' patrols and find a hiding place."

Gongzi said in a low voice, "But this small town is full of people. Where should we hide?"

"We'll hide inside the iron smelting workshop."

Chen Ji's eyes were fixed on the small town. Without turning his head back, he said, "The temperature inside the furnace in the workshop is extremely high. Even if the fire is extinguished, the temperature will still need until midnight to drop. It's extremely hot and hard to bear in there, and it smells. No one will live inside."

He turned his head to look. He only saw that Gongzi and Zhang Xia's lips were frozen purple, and their whole bodies couldn't stop trembling.

If they didn't change clothes in time, there might be a danger of hypothermia.

Once hypothermia sets in, eighty percent of the time one doesn't survive.

At this moment, Bai Li in her sleep tightly hooked Chen Ji's neck with both arms. The instinct to drive away the cold made her subconsciously approach warmth, pressing her head against Chen Ji's shoulder, like a small child.

Seeing the situation, Gongzi had a thought to speak and remind him, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

Chen Ji said lightly, "Endure a bit longer. The moment of sunset will be just right."

Gongzi hugged himself with both arms, shivering and complaining, "It's all my father's fault. He wanted to participate in a perfectly good literary gathering, but insisted on stopping to eat fish. Now it's good. We didn't get to eat fish, and instead we've been chased and killed all the way."

Chen Ji casually explained, "The assassins wouldn't have let you go just because you didn't eat fish. Instead, it was because of the matter of buying fish that they gathered us by the river, giving us the opportunity to jump into the river. Otherwise, being surrounded in the ox cart, we wouldn't have been able to run away at all."

He carefully recalled today's events: The officials on the black-awning boat were originally pretending to be fishermen in the middle of the river and didn't plan to act there. And the assassins ambushed in the mountain forest had just finished dealing with the bandits from Longwang Zhuang and hadn't made preparations for ambush and killing. It was precisely Jing Wang's temporary intention that led the assassins to be unable to attack from front and back, so they all rushed out at once.

Gongzi said "oh" and then muttered in a low voice, "Chen Ji, is all of your skill taught by Yaoyiguan? Is it still not too late for me to kowtow to the old man as my master?"

Chen Ji turned his head and looked at Gongzi strangely: "You're a perfectly good Gongzi, what are you learning this for?"

Gongzi thought for a moment and said, "If I can survive this time, I won't be a Gongzi. I'll also go and kowtow to Yaoyiguan as my master. Once I learn, we'll go roam Jianghu together and make a resounding name for ourselves."

At this time, the afterglow of the sun finally fell behind the hill. Chen Ji said urgently, "Go."

He was seen carrying Bai Li, his body light as a swallow. Watching the gap in the infantry soldiers' patrol, he ran to the outside of the wooden fence, bowing to make himself a ladder: "Step on my leg to climb up."

Gongzi skillfully flipped over the fence and landed steadily on the ground.

When it was Zhang Xia's turn, he asked urgently, "How will you get across carrying Bai Li later? I'll be the ladder, you carry Bai Li and step on me to get across."

Chen Ji urged, "Don't worry about me, hurry, the patrolling infantry soldiers are coming again."

Zhang Xia bit her teeth and stepped on Chen Ji's thigh to flip in. After she landed, she turned her head to look and suddenly saw Chen Ji squat down and jump with force.

The next moment, Chen Ji actually jumped over the fence carrying Bai Li.

Zhang Xia was surprised: "How is your strength so great? Are you an official?"

Chen Ji walked while casually explaining, "Bai Li's body is relatively light."

Zhang Xia wrinkled her eyebrows: "Can't you answer my questions properly for once?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Left side."

Chen Ji stuck to the edge of the small town. Before the next team of patrolling infantry soldiers arrived, he squeezed into the back door of an iron smelting workshop and carefully, very carefully, closed the door.

It was as if danger was isolated outside, and inside was a separate world.

Inside the workshop, the coal ash in the high furnace had not yet completely extinguished, and the heat it emitted surged non-stop.

Gongzi suddenly slumped to the ground, a feeling of happiness washing over him: "So warm. I really want to lie here and sleep to death."

Chen Ji gently placed Bai Li on the ground and looked up at Gongzi, saying, "Stay away from the high furnace, don't rush to get warm, you'll really die."

Gongzi hurriedly rolled and crawled away from the high furnace.

When a person's body is in a state of hypothermia, rewarming the body too quickly can lead to low blood pressure and shock, which is more dangerous than hypothermia.

Chen Ji touched Bai Li's forehead directly with his hand this time, then turned his head and instructed Zhang Xia, "Trouble you to find if there are any clothes to change into in this workshop. The workshop craftsmen have to deal with coal fire and molten iron every day, so they must have prepared special work clothes here. Later, help Junzhu change into them."

Zhang Xia hurriedly rushed into the front of the workshop to search and indeed found several sets of clothes that the craftsmen wore while working.

The clothes were very wide, and girls wearing them looked like they were wearing opera robes, with the sleeves covering their palms.

"You two change clothes first. Gongzi and I will wait somewhere else. Shout us when you're done changing!"

Chen Ji stood up, wanting to avoid them, but discovered that Bai Li had tightly grabbed his sleeve without knowing when.

Chen Ji was silent for a moment, gently pried open Bai Li's hand, and turned his head to Zhang Xia, saying, "I appreciate the help."

He walked into the deeper part of the workshop and took advantage of the time Gongzi was changing clothes to search every corner.

Chen Ji saw some molds neatly stacked in the southwest corner. He lifted one down to look and was suddenly startled: "This is... a mold for casting copper coins? Look, the copper liquid is poured in from this hole. After opening the mold, it's a copper coin. After repairing the rough edges a bit, it can be circulated in the market. This place is not only manufacturing iron tools but also privately casting copper coins."

No wonder there were infantry soldiers, cavalry, and hunting dogs by the river. Those people were originally the guards of this small town. If those people hadn't been led away by Hei Yun, Chen Ji and the others really wouldn't have been able to get in.

Gongzi took off his wet and slippery long robe and changed into dry craftsman's clothes.

While buttoning his clothes, he said carelessly, "My father said that privately casting copper coins is not a new thing at all. The Xu family, Liu family, Hu family, Chen family, Yang family, and Qi family are all doing it. These years, the court has suffered huge deficits. It's all because of them."

"The court doesn't care?"

Chen Ji was doubtful.

Gongzi scoffed, "The court? The court from top to bottom is all their people. They are the real court. Even if they are caught, they just push out a few scapegoats, that's all. Look, my father wants to handle some cotton gloves for the border army. He still needs to look at your Chen family's face."

At this moment, Zhang Xia called in a low voice, "We're done changing."

Chen Ji and Gongzi returned to the high furnace. Zhang Xia wore a set of loose clothes and looked up at Chen Ji: "What's the plan next?"

Chen Ji folded a piece of clothing to put under Bai Li's head as a pillow, then looked at Bai Li and fell into silence.

Just in this silence, Bai Li, with her eyes closed, said in a low voice, "Dad, someone wants to kill us."

Gongzi hurried over: "Bai Li, you're awake?"

However, Bai Li didn't open her eyes, only mumbled, "Brother, where are you..."

Gongzi quickly said, "I'm here. Open your eyes and take a look."

Bai Li still didn't open her eyes.

Gongzi lowered his head and secretly wiped the corner of his eye. When he looked up again, he said to Chen Ji, "She's not awake, she's talking nonsense."

As soon as the words fell, Bai Li lightly called out again, "Chen Ji..."

Gongzi looked at Chen Ji: "Look at this child... she's really starting to talk nonsense!"

After a long time, Chen Ji opened his mouth and said, "I need to go out for a trip first."

Gongzi, who had already sat on the ground, was shocked again and stood up when he heard this: "The outside of this small town is all their people. Do you still dare to go out at this time?"

Zhang Xia also sat up straight: "It's too dangerous."

Chen Ji looked at them: "Junzhu's illness can't be delayed. She must take medicine. There should be a pharmacy in the small town. I'll go and steal some medicine back for Junzhu, and also find something for you to eat."

Gongzi opened his mouth but couldn't speak. Although he was very worried about Chen Ji, saving his sister was also important: "I'll go with you..."

"No!"

Chen Ji shook his head: "Erosion is not dangerous. The soldiers in these small towns don't have uniform clothing. They don't even need dark signals when they meet. Even if I blend in, no one will notice. Besides, it's ultimately more convenient for me to act alone. You all stay here and get completely warm, dry your clothes, and take good care of Junzhu. I'll be back quickly."

Saying that, he put on the soldiers' clothes and walked to the door, then stopped.

Chen Ji lowered his head and thought for a moment, then turned his head to Gongzi and said, "If I don't come back by Zishi, you must carry Junzhu and escape. Remember to watch the patrol gap and escape towards the southwest. Escape as far as you can. If this small town suddenly becomes chaotic in a while, you all stay here and don't move lightly. Slip away secretly during Yinshi. Before entering the Lu Hun Shan Zhuang, you must carefully observe whether there are people squatting outside. Only if you determine that no one is guarding there and waiting for you, can you go in."

"Wait."

Gongzi stopped him.

But Chen Ji didn't reason with him, pushing the door and walking into the night: "Don't follow me, you'll drag me down. I'll be fine."

Gongzi stood stiffly in place.

Zhang Xia looked at the closed wooden door again, then looked at Gongzi: "So, this is the reason you and Junzhu trust him?"

Gongzi hummed in agreement.

Zhang Xia sighed: "No wonder my father wants to praise him in front of me."

Gongzi asked: "How did Zhang Daren say it? Did he praise him with flowery language and heavenly flowers falling randomly? I think Chen Ji also deserves it."

Zhang Xia sighed: "My father is not one to use gorgeous rhetoric. He just said that Chen Ji is reliable and can be trusted."

The two fell silent. Gongzi went to the front courtyard of the workshop to get water and dipped his finger to moisten Bai Li's lips.

Zhang Xia suddenly asked, "Why exactly does the Liu family want to ambush and kill you and Junzhu? If it's for Wang Fu to seize the heir, they should wait until Jing Fei gives birth to a male infant before acting. Now she only has Zhu Lingyun under her knee, what's the rush?"

Gongzi said in a low voice, "Only the Liu family knows that!"